Cairns Lutheran Parish: Recent Episodes
Cairns Lutheran Parish
Revelation 7:9-17, A vision of the ultimate destiny of all who trust, love and serve Christ
Romans 14:1-12, When in Romans... hear the good news - whether we live or die, we are the Lord's
Romans 13:1-10, When in Romans... hear the good news - love is the fulfillment of the law
Romans 12:9-21, When in Romans... hear the good news - everday acts of love, the monuments of God's kingdom
Romans 11, When in Romans... hear the good news - God's grace overflowing to all people
Romans 10:9-15, When in Romans... hear the good news - looking at things from another angle
Romans 9:1-5, When in Romans... hear the good news - every nation, tribe, people and language
Romans 8:31-39, When in Romans... hear the good news - nothing can ever separate us from the love of God, in Christ Jesus
Romans 8:18-27, When in Romans... hear the good news - still in this world, awaiting a future glory, trust the work of the Spirit
Romans 6:1-11, When in Romans... hear the good news - God acts in our Baptism to unite us with Christ in His death and resurrection
1 Peter 2:2-10, Your incredible call and purpose! (The example of Stephen, Acts 7:55-60)
Mary shows a deep affectionate response towards Jesus. She knows His death for her sins is personal.
Jesus tells this story of grace to highlight the nature of self-righteousness - the Pharisees and Scribes of His day. A father shows grace to his younger son, which exposes the true colours and motives of his older son. (missing about 2 min of audio)
Repent or perish is Jesus' message to the fallen race. In light of the Gospel, we can never be right with a holy God by works of any law. Repentance is the gift that enables us to give up our sinful efforts and trust the Christ who makes it for us.
Luke 13:31-35, Jesus' journey to Jerusalem meant death to Him, but it also meant death to us: killing Jesus means resurrection and salvation for sinners. Jesus Christ can't be silenced, but He is proclaimed.
Luke 4:1-13, Jesus does what Adam didn't do, He resists Satan's temptation and offers the Father total obedience on our behalf.
Has God called us to misery or to dance? To slavery or to son-ship? Galatians 3 leads us to understand the changed relationship Christians enjoy as they are freed from the custody of the law to joy-filled son-ship & adopted heirs of the Kingdom of God.
What does Divine Intervention mean to you? Today in Week 2 of our Series on Galatians we're looking at the amazing power of God's grace as it reaches into our lives.
What do you get when you add anything else to Jesus for salvation? You get no gospel at all. Today we begin a journey through Paul's letter to the churches in Galatia. Come hear the true gospel of Jesus and what it means for your life.
Rejoice in our sufferings? Really? The Bible says that this is not only possible, but a reality for people in Christ - but maybe not how we expect. Come and explore what the Lord is teaching us in Romans 5:1-5 about the power of the Gospel.
Do you think about Heaven? This week we're exploring Rev 22:1-5 and seeing that being mindful of heaven is of great use to us and the world today, as well as a secure hope for the future. This hope is secured for us through faith in Christ alone.
Our fascination with newness has everything to do with our deep need for eternity. The picture of a new heaven and new earth is the grace-filled reality for all who are united to the crucified and risen Lord Jesus through faith.
Crossing boundaries isn't easy. We'd far rather stay behind secure walls, especially when they've had well attested Divine sanction. But what happens when God seems to rip up the rule book? How do we cope when he causes the walls to fall down? Peter had to learn that God was not like he imagined him to be, to step beyond the boundary to see the grace of God in action.
What's being depicted in Revelation 5? It's a heavenly unveiling of Jesus' enthronement to reign until He returns. From this place of power Jesus not only rules, but is present and acting by grace for us every moment and every breath we take.
Revelation 1:1-8. The risen Jesus is the alpha and the omega of all things... the beginning and the end, the first and last. This means your life is embraced in his. He has enclosed you from the cradle to the grave in all that he has done. Your life is in his.
Coming to know your Father is a mid-week lenten series with Rev Dr Noel Due.
God's Fatherhood is known through the Cross. This is the place where God takes full responsibility for our failed sonship, releasing us from slavery so that we might be his children without fear. The Cross is an event within God on our behalf.
This Palm Sunday we celebrate the Coming One who enters Jerusalem on His way to the cross. Even though the crowd's great expectations are shattered, their greatest needs are met through God's grace.
Coming to know your Father is a mid-week lenten series with Rev Dr Noel Due.
God brings us into relationship with Himself, through the redemption which is in Jesus. He rescues, to seat us with the Son as full heirs of His Kingdom.
Ever thought about how God opens doors for us? God is doing a new thing where he not only throws open doors for you, but walks through them with you and provides spiritual nourishment and light for your path.
Coming to know your Father is a mid-week lenten series with Rev Dr Noel Due.
We come to know the Father in the Son, by the power of the Spirit. This is called adoption and stands at the heart of the glorious gift of God's grace.
God is interested in our hearts. In Joshua he uses the circumcision of some 700,000 people to bring about spiritual renewal and shield people from the ridicule of surrounding nations. Come and explore how this relates to the New Covenant community.
Coming to know your Father is a mid-week lenten series with Rev Dr Noel Due.
God our Father reveals himself in his actions redeeming and including us into the life of the Trinity. The spiritual battle for Fatherhood is real and intense, but God's goal is truly glorious.
NOTE: only the last third of this session recorded.
As human beings we often seek satisfaction and comfort from things that were never meant to be used that way. Is there such a thing as complete satisfaction, comfort and assurance that lasts for more than a few moments? Yes there is! Come see...
Coming to know your Father is a mid-week lenten series with Rev Dr Noel Due.
Fatherhood is a loaded term. We all have a father, and he's had a profound effect on us, for better or worse. But God's fatherhood is not like ours, so we need to fix the starting point in a different place. This first session in the series orientates us to the issues.
God's choice of Abram looks like a very strange choice indeed. It appears as though both God and Abram have put all their eggs in one basket. But God's power is made perfect in weakness which is precisely why Abram needed to be the man he was.
Avoiding temptation isn't about striving to be more regimented in spiritual disciplines. More important is who goes into the wilderness for us, what He has overcome and it's ongoing power at work in us each moment of our lives.
Christians are bold in protecting the doctrine of Justification by faith alone - and rightly so. So how do we understand meriting any kind of reward for serving the poor, praying and fasting? Tonight we're redefining how we understand rewards!
What does the bible mean when it talks about hearts and minds being veiled? Come and explore how God unveils our minds and transforms us from one degree of glory to another.
God is doing a new thing! Come and explore how and why the Lord is present with you each day filling your life with the new wine of His Kingdom.
A goats tail goes up, a sheep's tail hangs down, goats are browsers, sheep are grazers. It seems pretty easy to tell the sheep from the goats – or is it? Things change when we discover the sheep and goats are just stand ins for the human race... that includes you!
What do you see when you look at the talents God has entrusted to you? Are you quick to spot all the flaws and faults that couldn't possibly benefit the Kingdom of God? Today God is offering fresh opportunities to see things from His perspective. Today God invites you to jump off the bank of negativity and into God's flowing river of grace!
Oil is essential to our lives in this world. The hunt for an alternate source of energy is on because our supply of oil won't last forever. There is an unending supply of oil that comes from God. We can't run our cars on it, but it will sustain us and cause us to stand both now and forever when Jesus returns. Come and find out about the oil God wants to fill our life with.
[Edited for Distribution]
Is it ever wrong to return property to its rightful owner? Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what is God's. Where does your life fit into this picture?
If you were invited to a Royal Wedding – would you RSVP 'yes' or would you prefer to sit on the couch or go to work instead? Inside is an invitation to a Royal Wedding banquet beyond compare. Will you come to the banquet?
Opportunity: Take up residence in a beautiful vineyard with the best wine you've ever tasted and continual celebrations of magnificent proportions. Interested?
Can a person be very religious, but not have saving faith? Today we're exploring how the condition of our heart relates to how we connect with others for the sake of the gospel.
Do you think God's grace is fair as you look out into the world we live in - or do people sometimes receive more than their fair share from God?
How many times should we have to forgive someone before we can write them off as a hopeless case? Jesus has the answer we all need to hear.
Are you trying to suck moisture out of dry sand or drinking from God's River of Delights? Come and see why living as a disciple of Jesus and seeking your greatest joy are not in conflict.
What's the difference between calling Jesus 'saviour' and acknowledging that He is 'Lord and King' of your life? Today we'll explore what Jesus means when he calls us to take up our cross and follow him.
Recorded at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Atherton
Are your hands empty or full - and what does this have to do with faith? Come and explore just how counter-cultural 'great faith' looks in the Scriptures and how you can be a part of it.
Where do you go when you're under pressure or frightened? The Bible tells of Elijah who ran all the way to Mount Sinai and sat in a cave feeling frustrated and frightened (1 Kings 19). Perhaps the question for us today is what does it take to draw us out of hiding? When our lives look really messed up, is God even capable of helping us sort out the mess?
We live in an epicurean society. Food has to look spectacular, taste even better and suffer the scrutiny of people who make a living as food critics! The thing is, there is an invitation with your name on it to a banquet that puts the finest restaurant cuisine to shame. Come to the markets and taste the best food you'll ever eat.
What is wisdom and where does it come from? Is wisdom the product of multiple university degrees or years of life experience in the world? Today we learn what real wisdom is, as we hear a word from the Wise One. Come and listen as the Bible outlines how real heavenly wisdom is central to Jesus and His cross, and how we receive its manifold blessings in our lives.
What can't we live without? As we consider this question an even greater one arises: do we trust in these things more than we should? God has powerful answers to our big questions. Today God paints a picture that addresses these challenges with nothing less than 100% accuracy!
We all go through varying degrees of conflict. It happens both internally, within ourselves, and in our relationships with other people. What the world can't seem to clarify is why this happens. Today we'll listen to the Apostle Paul and look at the root cause of such conflicts and the difference Jesus makes to this issue we all struggle with.
What do itching ears and false prophets have to do with each other? It sounds like a joke, but the consequences can be catastrophic for the people of God. Today we will explore how the power of Jesus frees us from the captivity of sin and the lies of false prophets.
There's something missing at the scene of Jesus' "Great Commission." There are only eleven disciples instead of twelve. One is physically absent, but who else is missing? Come and explore Jesus' call to His church and how God's power is made perfect in our weakness.
Is the church dying? Do we need to pray more, pray harder or have more faith in order for things to improve? Or does the message of Pentecost lead us away from what we bring to the table and point us to a God who is still very much alive and at work amongst His people – the church? Come and explore how God continues to work His 'mighty acts' in and out of the church. Come and see where we fit into God's story!
Why does the Bible talk about Jesus' ascent to the right hand of God? Is the ascension simply something for us to marvel at, or does it run much, much deeper? Today we're looking at the implications of both Jesus' high priesthood and His ascension in our lives.
We share with others those things that are most important to us. What's the most important thing in our life worth sharing with our loved ones? Where does the One who calls us out of the slavery of sin and into new resurrection life fit into our list of most important things, and how can we share this treasure simply with the people around us?
What does it really mean to be a child of God in this world - and what difference does it make anyway? Listen to what God says about you and your calling in the world as we open up 1 Peter.
Why does the Bible depict Jesus as a gardener in John 20:1-18? And why does Mary see Jesus and see a gardener before seeing her saviour? Maybe it goes all the way back to the beginning: to a garden and the giant fall of humankind. What would it mean for us to be restored to the one who planted the garden of Eden and have access once more to Eden? Find out how God has restored us to both the garden and the gardener through the resurrection of Jesus.
Recorded at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Atherton.
Food is a major focus of our lives. It's there when we socialise and even when we turn on our television! On Maundy Thursday we celebrate the meal Jesus instituted for his disciples to eat. Food that does amazing things beyond the best restaurant meal or the most elaborately catered social function. So if the saying is true and we are what we eat, what does that mean for us as we approach Jesus' banquet table?
How do we pick our leaders? What kind of things are on our leadership shopping list? We want our leaders to look the part and promise the things we really want: political strength, higher wages, lower taxes. But they also need to look the part, accessorise and bask in the light of high media exposure. So what was Jesus thinking entering Jerusalem on a donkey? Is this the kind of King we're looking for? Jesus may not look the part, but maybe he's exactly who we really need...
How important is your faith to you? We usually answer that question with powerful words of affirmation. But is that really how it is - or do we pay Jesus more lip service than actual honesty?
Come and explore how Jesus breathes His life into you and re-animates you for authentic life that glorifies God in His Kingdom!
We see what we want to see. We make assumptions and blindly go out on a limb thinking we can see the full picture. But we can't. All too often we operate in the darkness without seeing through the eyes of faith.
Jesus opened the eyes of the blind man - and not just his physical eyes. Jesus gave the man spiritual sight to see the fullness of who Jesus is in every aspect of life.
Jesus opens our eyes as we are washed in the waters of baptism and calls us to look to him as we navigate life with our spiritual eyes wide open and attentive to His voice.
We all have deep needs. If we strip away the petty problems and the superficial issues that bring us stress, the big issues in our life... like death, like our relationship with the God who will one day serve as our eternal Judge, like making it through this evil world with our faith still in tact. Where does help like that come from?
For the Israelites' in the wilderness it came from a bronze snake on a pole! Even though they were whining endlessly and ungrateful - God, who sent the snakes, also sent the help! He sent help to deeply flawed people. And he did it on account of His burning and holy love.
Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."
God looks at us today, not by worldly definitions, but the person He created us to be. And He loves us with a love beyond human reason put into action in sending Jesus to die for us - to be lifted up high on the cross that we might look to Him in all things and live.
Being born into the Kingdom of God is about real life, a full life. It's about living in our baptismal faith and daily looking up to where our help comes from - to Jesus - lifted up so we can live and walk in His love every day of your life.
We capture moments don't we? Itʼs the moment she said, "I do" or itʼs the moment the doctor said "itʼs a girl/boy!" the moment in time that you captured the first steps of your child, the joy of a graduation, the first relationship, the once in a lifetime family reunion or the perfect holiday photo you took that you loved so much - you just had to blow it up and capture the moment in a frame to remember.
If only we could stay in those moments! If only life could just stop so we could continue to hang out there. If only we could stay!
Peter, James and John said that same thing, as they stood absolutely gob-smacked and dazzled at what they had just witnessed. They wanted to stay on that mountain with Jesus. But they couldn't! Jesus couldn't stay on that mountain either. The journey was just beginning. And so today I want to journey with you to that mountain with Jesus and those first disciples to see a preview of glory. We may just find ourselves saying, "If we only could stay!"
"An eye for an eye ... payback ... revenge: a dish best served cold." We say it with such a cold joy sometimes. Or maybe as Christians we tone down the language a bit. If we don't say it out loud, we think it. Having an enemy of one kind or another is common to us all.
As Christians, we need to get a little more creative than simply biting people back when we feel hurt. More than this, wouldn't it be great to surprise people, catch them off guard, so that we can take a new and fresh approach as disciples and followers of Jesus?
To be a disciple is to be creative in tough situations, prayerfully bringing our enemies - on the world scale - and our most intimate relationships to God, asking what they can't ask for themselves – for peace with God and each other. Who knows, perhaps they’ll even end up our friends!
I don't know about you, but I find it very easy to redefine things for myself. It's easy to redefine our situation. We're so good at redefining the parameters to suit ourselves, and it seems that we're not alone because the people in Jesus' day had much the same problem as us. In fact it goes right back to Adam and Eve in the garden and that fruit tree doesn't it, and satan saying "did God really say that you shouldn't eat from that tree... did he really say that" (redefining it).
And in Jesus' day it were the religious leaders who had consistently taken the gift of the Law, which is God's commands and instructions for life, and simply missed the point.
When we try to redefine God's Word, we move the goal post to where we feel comfortable so that we can feel that we're justified in our behaviour and in everything that we do. But that's not a safe place for us to be living and it's not reality. Jesus never said "take up your cross and be comfortable," but rather "take up your cross and follow me." Sometimes that means we feel confronted, we feel challenged.